Soc: Chapter 6 (deviance)

d

According to structural strain theory, which group of people would be most likely to renounce the culture's goals and means entirely and live outside of conventional norms altogether? a. deviants b. innovators c. ritualists d. retreatists e. rebels

b

Body modification used to be used as a way to mark someone in society with shame. Now, however, body modification is now generally considered a voluntary mark of body decoration. What does this tell us about society? a. Body modification has always been artistic, people just used to interpret it the wrong way. b. What is considered "deviant" changes over time. c. Subcultures have always been around; they just don't have to hide anymore. d. All of the above are true. e. None of the above is true.

example of deviance

In the United States, eating a guinea pig would be considered deviant because most people don't do that, but in Peru, many people eat guinea pigs as a staple part of their diet. Eating guinea pigs isn't wrong, but depending on the culture that you're from, it can definitely be different than the group norm

c

The case of a student who was continually told that he was stupid and would never amount to anything and who eventually drops out of school is an example of a. tertiary deviation. b. anomie. c. self-fulfilling prophecy. d. sanctions.

a

There are times when deviance is considered positive. a. true b. false

example of deviance in conflict theory

Vagrancy laws are in place because the people in power (representatives of dominant culture) have deemed vagrancy to be deviant. Sociologist William Chambliss looked at how the vagrancy laws have been applied differently over the years to homeless, unemployed, racial minorities, or whoever seemed most threatening at the time. He determined that vagrancy laws actually reproduce inequality in our society.

d

When a sociologist refers to an act as deviant, she or he is making a _____ judgment, not a _____ judgment. a. moral; social b. personal; social c. social; personal d. social; moral

e

Which of the following are acts of deviance: a. driving faster than the posted speed limit b. yelling at your spouse in a movie theater c. grocery shopping in bare feet d. texting friends during class e. all of the above

b

_____ is/are the violation of a norm that has been codified into law. a. stigma b. crime c. folkways d. mores

deviance

a behavior, trait, or belief that departs from a norm and generates a negative reaction in a particular group; social judgment, not a moral one

innovation

acceptance of cultural goals, rejection of institutionalized means

ritualism

acceptance of institutionalized means, rejection of cultural goals

conflict theory

according to this theory: - Deviance is a result of social conflict. - In order for the powerful to maintain their power, they marginalize and criminalize the people who threaten their power. Inequality is reproduced in the way deviance is defined.

functionalism

according to this thoery: - deviance serves as a function in our society - According to Émile Durkheim, deviance serves a positive social function by clarifying moral boundaries and promoting social cohesion

goals

are not individual or personal goals, like saving enough money to buy a new mp3 player. They are socially acceptable,, like "The American Dream"—having a good job, a nice home, a car, money, and so on

conformity

both accept cultural goals and institutional means

tribal stigma

could be based on membership to a discredited group, which could be a group that a person chooses to belong to, like a club or an organization, or a group that a person is born into, like a race or socioeconomic status

moral stigma

could include character flaws—for instance, talking too much—which could devalue a person's input in a group setting

positive deviance

defined as an act that is outside of the norm, but may actually be heroic rather than negative ex. Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus when asked; or even a student in class being the one to raise his or her hand and say that a test seemed unfair. If no one else in the class spoke up, this student's action might be deviant, but it could also shed light on an issue that needed to be addressed

rebellion

due to new means and new goals

physical stigma

external deformations or mental impairment

symbolic interactionism

how certain acts come to be defined as deviant

structural functionalism

how deviance clarify norms and expectations

differential association

- A symbolic interactionist perspective developed by Edwin Sutherland - States that we learn deviance from interacting with deviant peers

labeling theory

- A symbolic interactionist perspective developed by Howard Becker - States that deviance is caused by external judgments (labels) that change a person's self-concept and the way others respond to him or her - Becker suggests that this can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy

structural strain theory

- Developed by Robert Merton - It states that there are goals in our society that people want to achieve, but they cannot always reach these goals. This creates stress (or strain) because people are aware of the goals but do not have the means to achieve them ex. not being able to attain the american dream

crime

- If a behavior is considered deviant, it means that it violates the values and norms of a group, not that it is inherently wrong. - However, research on deviance also includes crime

stigma

- Term coined by Ervin Goffman - Describes any physical or social attribute that devalues a person or group's identity, and which may exclude those who are devalued from normal social interaction - can be physical, moral , or tribal

conformists

- accept the goals of the society and the means of achieving those goals - These are the people who work hard in school, go to college, get a job, and save money because they want to buy a nice house, have a fancy car, wear nice clothes, and contribute to their retirement plans

innovators

- accept the goals of the society, but they look for new, or innovative, ways of achieving those goals - These are people who want all of the same things as the conformists—a fancy house, nice car, designer clothes—but they aren't interested in going to college and working their way up through the company.

Merton's typology of deviance

- aka structural strain theory table - conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion - based on cultural goals and institutionalized means

b

According to Merton's structural strain theory, an individual who deals drugs in order to get rich would be called a/an a. conformist. b. innovator. c. ritualist. d. retreatist.

ritualists

- aren't interested in the goals of the society but they do accept the means of achieving those goals - don't seem to think about the goal or the big picture, and instead they live their lives day to day, paycheck to paycheck. They go to work, have a steady job, and so on, but they probably live in an apartment or in their parents' basement, they don't talk about career moves or retirement, and they simply keep doing their routine every day.

rebels

- don't accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals, so they create their own goals using new means - those people who don't accept the goals of society and disagree with the means of achieving them. That means that these people don't covet lots of money, a fancy house, a nice car, and so on.

retreatists

- don't accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals. - aren't interested in the goals, and they don't follow the day-to-day routine to achieve the means either. Oftentimes they withdraw from the system completely. An example would be a hermit or a person who goes to the mountains to live with the goats; note - not always the homeless fit this category

rehabilitation

- reform criminals so that they may reenter society - has different degrees of success or failure depending on the crime committed; usually less expensive than incarceration; we tend to see more sentences of incarceration than this

incapacitation

- remove criminals from society by imprisoning them - may depend on the severity of the crime committed. If our society imprisoned every person who ever jaywalked, there would be few people left out in society. Then again, if the penalty for jaywalking was imprisonment, maybe fewer people would do it. That's part of the logic behind creating sentences for crimes.

passing

- when stigmatized individuals try to pass as if they are part of the mainstream - certainly easier for some individuals than others. - ex. morally stigmatized individuals may be able to conceal their beliefs, whereas a physically stigmatized individual may have a more difficult time trying to conceal the impairment that causes the stigmatization. This may also be the case with criminals who commit crimes but then go to work and live their lives as noncriminals

b

A professional gambler who makes $250,000 per year would likely be considered what, according to structural strain theory? a. a deviant b. an innovator c. a ritualist d. a retreatist e. a rebel

deviant

Defining something as ____ requires us to examine the group norms and how the group reacts to the behavior

b

Eddie's family just moved to a new city. He finds new friends, but they're always "up to something" according to Eddie's mom. For instance, all of the kids dyed their hair green, and so did Eddie. Then, all of the kids got their noses pierced, and so did Eddie. Which sociologist would be interested in studying this situation? a. Robert Merton b. Edwin Sutherland c. Howard Becker d. Erving Goffman e. Jack Katz

culture, context

just like deviance, stigma will depend on the ___ and ____

means

may refer to socially acceptable routes to achieving the aforementioned goals, like going to college, working hard, starting at the bottom of the company ladder but working your way to the top, and so on

tribal stigma

membership in a discredited or oppressed group

physical stigma

physical impairment might stigmatize or devalue a potential employee at a workplace.

deterrence

prevent crime by threatening harsh penalties ex. if you are in a hurry to class and you start to exceed the speed limit, do you ever slow down because you think, "I don't want to get a speeding ticket"? If so, the potential penalty has deterred you from committing the crime.

retreatism

rejection of both cultural goals and institutional means

retribution

retaliate or take revenge for a crime that's been committed ex. have you ever heard the saying "an eye for an eye"? That's the premise behind retribution—you've committed a crime, therefore, society has the right to retaliate in a certain way

moral stigma

signs of a flawed character

crime

the violation of a norm that has been codified into law

imprisonment (U.S.), shunning, banishment, corporal punishment

types of punishment

conflict thoery

why punishments are distributed unequally